The Flemish Government has approved the draft project decision for the Left Bank Container Cluster, marking a significant milestone in the Extra Container Handling Capacity Antwerp project designed to prepare the Port of Antwerp-Bruges for continued growth in container traffic.
The project will increase Antwerp’s container handling capacity by 7 million TEUs.
The approval was granted on May 29, 2026, initiating a public consultation period running from June 12 to August 10, 2026.
The Left Bank Container Cluster forms the core of the ECA project, with its central component being the construction of a Second Tidal Dock for container vessels adjacent to the existing Deurganck Dock.
Connected to the new container terminals will be the Three Docks logistics area, providing space for container logistics operations, alongside a substantial landscape buffer separating the port infrastructure from the surrounding polders and the village of Doel.
Following the public consultation, feedback will be carefully assessed and the draft project decision amended where necessary before submission to the Council of State for advice.
The Flemish Government will be able to adopt the project decision definitively once that process is complete.
Johan Klaps, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, described the approval as a major step forward, warning that without additional capacity, cargo volumes and the economic activity they generate risk shifting to competing ports.
He framed the Left Bank Container Cluster as essential to securing the port’s future capacity to handle growing container demand efficiently.
